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NY Yankees’ Gerrit Cole nearing rehab assignment

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Andres Chavez | Last updated Apr 7, 2026 5:22 PM ET

The New York Yankees have the best rotation in baseball. As of Tuesday afternoon, it wasn’t even close, as they were the only team in baseball with a sub-2.00 ERA from its starters to this point. The scary thing is, however, that they have some reinforcements coming.

Carlos Rodon recently suffered a minor setback, but should still make it back by May. Clarke Schmidt will rejoin the Yankees in the second half if all goes well with his Tommy John surgery rehab. The closest of them all is, however, ace Gerrit Cole.

Cole went down with ligament damage last spring and went under the knife. Since his surgery, every little step he has taken on his way back has been positive, and he remains on track to return to action in late April or early May.

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Cole Is Weeks Away From Returning To The Yankees

Cole, who made a couple of starts in spring training and had a 3.38 ERA in 2.2 innings back then, had a throwing session on Monday, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who revealed that he will return to the mound this weekend.

There is a chance he does it in a game setting, but it could also be a live batting practice session, per the skipper. The team still hasn’t decided, but in any case, the Yankees ace is getting close to a rehab assignment in the minor leagues.

Gerrit Cole will throw in either live BP or a game setting on Sunday pic.twitter.com/amWln4ySdu
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 7, 2026

Right now, Cole’s biggest challenge will be ramping up his workload and building arm strength to approach a full starter’s workload in the coming weeks. It’s a gradual process that takes time, but the Yankees have been very patient to this point, and he has hit every milestone in his recovery.

He Can Still Be A Top-Tier Arm

The 2024 season, the last one he pitched for the Yankees, saw him starting late due to concerns regarding his elbow, yet he still finished with a 3.41 ERA in 95 innings and a 0.71 ERA in two World Series starts. The year before, 2023, he won the AL Cy Young Award.